Work Text:
“I’m Rey Skywalker,” she hears herself telling the older woman standing before her. It doesn’t sound quite right, but it makes her feel a little bit closer to them. To him .
The woman simply nods, curiosity settled, before taking her leave. Rey watches as she picks her way across the dunes. When the woman fades from sight, she continues to watch as the sand ebbs and flows, the strong winds swiftly covering any trace of another being. She feels the emptiness begin to take hold, the barren landscape reminding her of another planet. Tally marks counting the desolate days flash before her eyes.
“You’re not a Skywalker,” comes an achingly familiar voice from behind her.
She freezes. The blood rushes from her head, as her heart starts pounding in her chest. Anxious anticipation has her feeling faint. Impossible. It can't be. This is in no way a reality.
She’d held him in his last moments. She’d watched him dissipate, become one with the force.
Slowly, so very slowly (she’s scared she might spook him or somehow erase him, wipe him from all existence) she turns to find the man who has haunted her dreams since Palpatine's downfall.
Ben Solo.
He’s staring back at her, an impish ( Han’s ) grin on his face. Her mind spirals. A part of her is still chasing denial, desperately trying to bury the smallest of hopes awakening inside of her. She’d sensed his life’s end on Exegol. But, here, right now his Force Signature is strong - their bond is practically singing.
It is him. He is here, in the flesh.
“Who am I, then?” she questions, finally finding her voice, trying for levity but failing severely. She's currently incapable of moving her legs, so frozen in her desperation.
“You’re a Solo, Sweetheart,” his grin widens, and she bows her head, heart in her throat.
When she looks up again, he’s smiling that sweet, sweet smile – the one he reserved for her, the one he gave her before, before...
“Ben, are you really here?” she asks softly, tears glistening in her eyes.
He strides purposefully towards her, reaching for her. When he pulls her into arms, she lets out a sob. Oh, what it feels like to have him solidly within her grasp once more.
“How?” It's a whisper, made quieter by the fact that her face is buried in his chest.
She needs to know he’s here to stay.
“You can’t leave me, Ben Solo. Not again, you can’t. I’m alone, so very, very alone. Please don’t go where I can’t follow.” Tears trickle down her face, as she beats her small fists against his chest, punctuating each plea.
He captures her hands and cradles them to his heart.
“You’re not alone, Rey. You’ll never be alone again.” He lifts their joined hands and leaves a lingering kiss across her exposed knuckles.
“Leia...mom,” he corrects, voice growing rougher with emotion, “She bound her life-force to me. When I bound mine to you, there was a cascade effect in the Force.”
“You disappeared, I thought you were gone, I wouldn’t have left you down there had I known,” she tries to convey her remorse, firmly regretting her decision to flee when she did.
“If you had stayed, you would have died. You made the right choice.” His reassurance is comforting. How easily he perceives her thoughts.
“I’m still sorry you went through it alone,” she murmurs, “How...how did you find me?”
“I woke up aboard Maz Kanata’s ship,” he replies, turning to look off into the distance, remembering.
“Maz saved you?” He looks back down at her, one of his hands coming up to caress her cheek.
“She’s been hiding her Force abilities for a millennium. She wouldn’t tell me the particulars, just that she found me before it was too late.” Rey supposes she shouldn’t be surprised. Her first meeting with Maz had been memorable to say the least. There will be time to question her yet.
But for now, Ben seems thoroughly intent on distracting her. He tracks his thumb lightly across her cheek, causing her eyes to flutter closed in contentment.
She can feel the depth of his devotion surrounding them and her only thought is that he sacrificed everything for her .
“You gave up your life for me,” tumbles out of her mouth.
“Rey,” he breathes.
She opens her eyes and tilts her head back to meet his gaze.
“You saved me,” he whispers.
Her eyes roam his face. She notes that his scars are gone. His eyes are no longer conflicted, haunted, filled with turmoil. His heart is full of joy. Ben Solo is finally whole.
A smile breaks out on her face as she slides her hands up and into his dark locks. He surges down as she goes on tiptoe to meet him, lips connecting in a frenzied kiss. Their first kiss was tender; this second kiss is passionate, all-consuming. They are both alive, frantic to make up for lost time.
Ben wraps his arms around her, hands spanning her entire frame. Their lips move in perfect synchronization, as if they were made for each other. Rey runs her hands through his silken hair before tugging the strands fervently, making him groan in response. In retaliation, he catches her bottom lip between his teeth and pulls gently. She gasps into his mouth at the new sensation. He draws back the slightest bit to gently nudge her nose with his own.
“I love you, Rey Solo.”
She nuzzles him in return.
“I know, Ben, I know,” she laughs as he hefts her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, “I love you too.” At this declaration, he reconnects their lips with renewed passion, tongue seeking hers in a brilliantly calculated move that has her wondering where exactly he learned it.
They only break apart when they hear BB-8 make a noise that sounds suspiciously like a whistle. Rey giggles as Ben smirks. They’d been so lost in each other; they hadn’t even noticed the droid’s approach.
It’s in this moment that a sudden gust of wind sends sand flying into their faces. Rey’s laughter only increases when she sees Ben struggling to brush the substance from his eyes and mouth, lips downturned in his famous pout.
“Please tell me you don’t want to stay on Tatooine. I may be a Solo, but I’m also part Skywalker and we do not particularly care for sand,” Ben deadpans.
The dazzling gleam in his eyes is blinding. Rey can’t help but snicker. This man’s true self is absolutely delightful. She looks forward to learning all of his quirks more fully.
“I’ve got the Falcon here; it’s docked just past the furthest outbuilding. Why don’t you fire her up and we can take her anywhere we want?”
“Sounds perfect,” he presses a quick kiss to her lips, pulls back and winks before jogging off in search of the – their – ship.
Twilight surrounds her; she turns to see twin suns igniting the horizon. Oranges, reds, and yellows fill the sky, their fiery hues burning brightly, lighting up the dark.
“We’re going to find a home,” she tells the droid, eyes alight in the warm glow.
BB-8 beeps enthusiastically.
It’s then she feels them. The Skywalker twins’ flickering Force Ghosts materialize beside her. When she meets their eyes, they’re wearing huge smiles to match hers. When their gazes shift to behind her, she knows that Ben has returned. Leia’s eyes glimmer with unshed tears, Luke’s with pride.
Ben comes to rest by Rey’s side, one arm wrapping around her shoulders. She loops her arm around his waist in return. He simply nods at his family, no words necessary to convey his reconciliation.
The Force thrums with contentment, as they watch the suns set.
A balance has been reached and Rey has never felt more loved.